View source for Paul Gallen

{{octostats|Runner-up|1|846|5}}
[[Image:Paul Gallen2.jpg|thumb|right|Paul]]
[[Image:Paul Gallen.jpg|thumb|right|Gallen]]
'''Paul Gallen''' was an [[octochamp]] in and the runner-up of [[Series 52]] and the winner of [[Championship of Champions XII]]. He is the current editor of the [[Scrabble]] column for Saturday's editions of {{w|The Times}}. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Countdown players of all time.

He first appeared aged 18 and scored 96 points in his first game, and went on to compile 846 points with a top score of 121 and two scores of 117 in his first eight games. He scored 'only' 92 against [[Rita Willmott]] but came back above [[century|100]] with 108 points against [[John Hunt (Series 52)|John Hunt]]. The final was a tense affair. Gallen beat #3 seed [[Mark Tournoff]] with {{word|FIACRES}} and {{word|MITOGENS}} in the first four rounds, but Gallen failed to score on the first numbers, so the score was {{score|30|25}} in Gallen's favour after 5 rounds. Both players equalled each other in every round from them on, until Tournoff tried {{word|INTERNETS {{x}}}} which was only listed with a capital letter. Gallen had {{word|MIRIAD {{x}}}} disallowed in the next round, and after both players scored on the numbers, it was a crucial conundrum. Gallen buzzed in on three seconds but gave no answer and the rest of the time was allowed to Tournoff. He then saw the right answer, as indicated by reducing himself to dejection. Tournoff duly spotted {{word|PARTRIDGE}} and won the game dramatically {{score|92|89}}.

He was invited back to the [[Championship of Champions XII]] where he beat [[Series 50]] runner-up [[Eamonn Timmins]] by 45 points, including two nine-letter words. The quarter-final was against [[John Davies (Series 49)|John Davies]] who was unbeaten with 12 wins out of 12. The [[Series 49]] champion slipped up offering the invalid {{word|gratinees}} in the first round, whilst, Gallen had {{word|STINGAREE}}. The players scored equally in every round until Gallen could only find a five whilst Davies had {{word|CABBIE}}. This wasn't enough to force a crucial conundrum, and Gallen won {{score|118|96}}, in a game closer than the scoreline suggests. The semi-final was against [[Conor Travers]] who was also at the time unbeaten. As in the previous game, the players scored in every round apart from Travers who offered {{word|BOING}} for five when Gallen had a six. This meant another crucial conundrum {{word|PRESCHOOL}} which Gallen solved to beat another previously unbeaten player. In the final, to win the competition, Gallen would have to beat [[Mark Tournoff]] who was both an unbeaten champion and the only player ever to beat Gallen. 

In the final, both players played an impressive game with all maximums for both players all of the first 11 rounds, including the impressive {{word|STARFISH}} in Round 1. It was Gallen that took the lead in rounds 12 and 13 with {{word|TELECOM}} and {{word|DYSPNOEA}}. Again all Gallen had to do was score points on the final numbers game and he would avoid a crucial conundrum, but he got the numbers game wrong and let Tournoff in for a crucial conundrum. This time Gallen made no mistake, and took the conundrum {{word|PEPPERONI}} for himself and took the Championship of Champions title with him too, carding a then-record 14 maximums in the process (a record eventually beaten by [[Kirk Bevins]] in [[Series 60]]). 

Since his appearances on Countdown, Gallen studied Law at Belfast University and has become a keen competitor in the world of [[Scrabble]]. In 2012, he became the first person born outside the British Isles to win the National Scrabble Championship, and won the ABSP Masters in 2013, 2014 and 2019 and the British Elimination Scrabble Tournament in 2013 and 2017. He has been ranked number 1 in the world and holds Grandmaster status.

{{series runner-up|preceded_by=Steve Graston|series=52|followed_by=John Brackstone}}
{{Champion of Champions|preceded_by=Graham Nash|coc=XII|followed_by=Steve Briers}}

[[Image:paul_gallen.jpg|right|thumb|Paul Gallen, the [[Scrabble]] player.]]

==Episodes==
{{episode table}}
{{ep | 3762 | 31/08/2004 | P |[[Roy Thearle]]| 83 – 96 |Paul Gallen|[[Barry Norman]]|[[Susie Dent]]|124}}
{{ep | 3763 | 1/09/2004 | P |Paul Gallen| 117 – 49 |[[Harry Brunt]]|Barry Norman|Susie Dent|135}}
{{ep | 3764 | 2/09/2004 | P |Paul Gallen| 103 – 77 |[[Claire Marston]]|Barry Norman|Susie Dent|140}}
{{ep | 3765 | 3/09/2004 | P |Paul Gallen| 103 – 82 |[[Ray Jones]]|Barry Norman|Susie Dent|122}}
{{ep | 3766 | 6/09/2004 | P |Paul Gallen| 117 – 35 |[[Jean Tully]]|[[Charles Collingwood]]|Susie Dent|123}}
{{ep | 3767 | 7/09/2004 | P |Paul Gallen| 106 – 57 |[[Ed Pritchard]]|Charles Collingwood|Susie Dent|121}}
{{ep | 3768 | 8/09/2004 | P |Paul Gallen| 83 – 39 |[[Stephen Todd]]|Charles Collingwood|Susie Dent|117}}
{{ep | 3769 | 9/09/2004 | P |Paul Gallen| 121 – 47 |[[Mo Yusuf]]|Charles Collingwood|Susie Dent|128}}
{{ep | 3834 | 9/12/2004 | QF |[[Rita Willmott]]| 61 – 92 |Paul Gallen|[[Rick Wakeman]]|Susie Dent|125}}
{{ep | 3838 | 15/12/2004 | SF |[[John Hunt (Series 52)|John Hunt]]| 47 – 108 |Paul Gallen|[[Richard Digance]]|Susie Dent|130}}
{{ep | 3840 | 17/12/2004 | GF |[[Mark Tournoff]]| 92 – 89 |Paul Gallen|Richard Digance|Susie Dent|119}}
{{ep | 4119 | 6/06/2006 | CP |Paul Gallen| 125 – 80 |[[Eamonn Timmins]]|[[Ann Widdecombe]]|Susie Dent|141}}
{{ep | 4122 | 9/06/2006 | CQF |Paul Gallen| 118 – 96 |[[John Davies (Series 49)|John Davies]]|Ann Widdecombe|Susie Dent|127}}
{{ep | 4126 | 15/06/2006 | CSF |Paul Gallen| 118 – 102 |[[Conor Travers]]|[[Kim Woodburn]]|Susie Dent|120}}
{{ep | 4127 | 16/06/2006 | CGF |Paul Gallen| 111 – 93 |Mark Tournoff|Kim Woodburn|Susie Dent|118}}
{{episode table end}}

{{CofC}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallen, Paul}}
[[Category:Championship of Champions winners]]
[[Category:Finalists]]
[[Category:Octochamps of the 15 round era]]
[[Category:Contestants in Series 52]]
[[Category:Contestants in Championship of Champions XII]]
[[Category:Teapot owners]]